Monday, October 17, 2011

Guest Post: Jessica Martinez On Music

Hey guys! Today I have author Jessica Martinez here to post about music and the main character of her debut novel Virtuosity. Take it away, Jessica!

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....

Like Carmen, I’m a violinist. VIRTUOSITY is not an autobiography (I swear!), but some readers have wondered what Carmen and I actually have in common. Here’s a list of things that Carmen experiences and the TRUTH about me as a teenage violinist:

Carmen

Me

Won a Grammy

Nope

Performs as a soloist with symphonies

Yup

Has an intense mother

Not at all

Experiences performance anxiety

Yes

Uses drugs to control it

No

Owns a million-dollar violin

No, but I played one once for five minutes. It ruled.

Eccentric teacher

Hello! Not all of them, but wow. Some.

Dangles her violin off a balcony

No, but I did accidentally step on mine. Crushed it.

Falls in love with her competition Weirdly, I only go for non-musicians. Not sure why.

Feels like violin alienates her from her

peers

Definitely.

Loves/hates the pieces she’s learning

Yes, yes, yes

Lives for music

Yes. Now I live for chocolate. (Kidding, but I am slightly more well-rounded. And not just from the chocolate.)

Finds a British accent irresistible

WHO DOESN’T?

Thanks so much for stopping by, Jessica! Be sure to keep an eye out for my review of Virtuosity, which will be live soon!